| December, 2008 |
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| Family to Family classes starting in January |
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| Your local NAMI chapters invite you to attend a series of 12 weekly classes structured to help you understand and support individuals with mental disorders while maintaining your own well being. These NAMI classes are for family members, partners and friends of individuals with serious mental illness. "This course is a wonderful experience," said one student. "It balances basic education and skills-training with emotional support, self care and empowerment."
NAMI National will be hosting a conference call Friday, December 5 from 10 - 11:30 a.m. discussing the effectiveness of the program. This toll-free call is a great opportunity to learn more about Family to Family and how it can help you. To access it, dial 1-888-858-6021 and key in access number 309918 when prompted. (Contact Laura Usher with any questions about the call at laurau@nami.org)
There is no cost to participate in a Family to Family class, you don’t need to be a NAMI member, and it doesn’t matter if you live in a particular chapter’s area to attend a class. Just pick out a date and location that’s convenient. Please note, however, that registration is necessary as class size is limited.
Barrington Area Chapter
In Lake Zurich: Mondays starting January 19, 6–9 p.m. Contact Maryrose at 847-496-1415.
At Northwest Community Hospital, Arlington Heights: Wednesdays starting January (call for date), 6–9 p.m. Contact Maryrose at 847-496-1415 with questions or to register.
DuPage Chapter
In Naperville: Thursdays starting January 8, 7–9:30 p.m. For more information or to register contact the NAMI of DuPage office at ![]() (630) 752-0066.
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| December Events |
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| Monday, December 1, 1 – 2 pm (Chicago time). SPAN USA presents: Information and Action to Prevent Older Adult Suicide: A Webinar. Older adults currently have the highest rates of suicide of any age group, and everyone is needed to play a part in prevention efforts. This interactive webinar will provide suicide prevention advocates with up-to-date information on trends in the field, an example of one state’s suicide prevention strategy, and a view from a survivor of older adult suicide. A Q & A session will follow the presentations. No charge, but registration required immediately (we're already past the deadline). Contact: Leah Harris at lharris@spanusa.org. Wednesday, December 3, 6:30 p.m. NAMI Northwest Suburban is holding its Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner. Members, families and friends will gather at the Alexian Center for Mental Health on Salt Creek Lane in Arlington Heights. Please call 847.899.0195 to reserve your spot and indicate what dish you will bring. Chicken and beverages provided.
Friday, December 5, 10 - 11:30 a.m. NAMI National presents a conference call with Dr. Lisa Dixon, who will speak about the effectiveness of the Family to Family program. The call is toll free. To access it, please dial 1-888-858-6021; access number 309918. Contact Laura Usher with any questions at laurau@nami.org.
Sunday December 7, 6:00p.m. Hope for the Holidays concert benefiting NAMI DuPage. Enjoy Grammy Award Winning Artist Suzy Bogguss and Principle Soprano, San Jose Opera, Chicago Symphony and Carnegie Hall Artist, Rebecca Davis. See attached flyer and check out Suzy Bogguss' website. At Wentz Concert Hall, North Central College, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville. Tickets $50 each or $100 each for VIP package. For tickets use the donate button at www.namidupage.org or call 630.752.0066 ext. 248.
Sunday, December 14 at 1 p.m. A group of NAMI chapters and interested individuals forming the North/northwest Suburban Task Force on Supportive Housing for Individuals with Mental Illness will hold a planning meeting at the mental health building at Northwest Community Hospital. If you'd like to help, please join us. Questions? Call Hugh Brady at 847-991-1863.
Tuesday, December 16, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. NAMI Barrington Area board meeting in the Barrington Area Library, Large Meeting Room B. Drop in and learn what's going on in the chapter!
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| January Events |
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Starting in January and continuing for 12 weeks, local NAMI chapters offer Family to Family classes. No charge, but registration required • Mondays starting January 19 in Lake Zurich, 6-9 p.m.or • Wednesdays (call for starting date) at Northwest Community Hospital, 6-9 p.m. Both of these sections are presented by the Barrington Area chapter. Contact Maryrose for information or to register at 847-496-1415 • Thursdays starting January 8 in Naperville, presented by the DuPage chapter. Contact NAMI of DuPage at ![]() 630-752-0066.Tuesday, January 20, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. NAMI Barrington Area board meeting in the Barrington Area Library, Large Meeting Room B. Drop in and learn what's going on in the chapter!
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| Area Support Groups |
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| NAMI Barrington Area would like to invite you to our monthly support group - for family, partners and friends of people with mental illnesses (or "consumers" of mental health services). This month it will be on Tuesday, December 9 at the Barrington Area Library. (Call Mary at 847-381-6919 for information.)
Support groups can be very helpful, especially for those going through a crisis. There are a number of groups meeting in our area for consumers as well as family members and friends.
Many of these groups will have altered schedules for the holiday season. Be sure to call to confirm before you set out for a December support group.
Every Monday, the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance support group meets in Arlington Heights from 7.30 to 9.00 p.m. It's open to people living with depression and bipolar disorder and their family and friends. No charge. Contact Leah at mrsn@comcast.net or (847) 541-7754 for information and location.
Every Tuesday, the RECOVERY Inc. self-help mental health support group (led by trained consumers using cognitive behavioral methods) meets at at the NAMI-McHenry County offices, 333 Commerce Drive, Suite 900A, Crystal Lake. For information call 815-338-5609, email 50_@recovery-inc.org, or visit www.recovery-inc.org.
Every Thursday, the NAMI DuPage chapter's Peer Recovery support group meets from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at Good Samaritan Hospital, 3815 Highland Ave., Downers Grove. (No charge, no reservation needed.) Call 630-752-0066 for information (be sure to call for Christmas schedule changes).
Every week in December, the NAMI Consumer Connections support group meets in four locations in the northwest suburbs. For adults 18 and over with any type of mental illness. No charge/no registration: Mondays 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Alexian Center for Mental Health, 3350 Salt Creek Lane, Suite 114, in the large group room. Call Star at 847-899-0195 for details. Tuesdays 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Kenneth Young Center, 1001 Rohlwing, Elk Grove. Call Mary at 847-895-382 or Michelle at 847-524-2690 for information. Fridays 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Alexian Brothers Behavioral Hospital, 1650 Moon Lake Blvd, Hoffman Estates. Call Carol at 847-352-6708 or Ruth at 630-497-9737 for details. Saturdays 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. at Lutheran General Hospital, 1775 Dempster, Park Ridge. Call NAMI CCNS for details at (847) 716-2252. (Be sure to call for Christmas schedule changes)
Monday, December 1. NAMI Cook County North "Care & Share" family support group meets from 7 - 8:30 p.m. the first Monday of the month at the Kenton-Knox Conference Center at Rush North Shore Medical Center, 9701 N. Knox, Skokie. No charge. No reservation needed. Call Jan Magoc at at 847-297-0396 for information.
Monday, December 1 and 15. NAMI Greater Chicago consumer support group meets twice monthly (usually the first and third Mondays), 2:30 - 4 p.m. at their offices, 1536 W. Chicago Ave, 1st Floor, Chicago. Call Betty at 312-563-0445 or visit their website for information or for other city and suburban support groups.
Thursday, December 4. NAMI McHenry County Chapter dual diagnosis family support group meets the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at the NAMI-McHenry County offices, 333 Commerce Drive, Suite 900A, Crystal Lake. Call 815-444-9991 for information.
Monday December 8 and Thursday, December 18. NAMI-C.A.R.E. (Consumers Advocating Recovery through Empowerment), a peer-based, mutual support group program led by trained consumers for individuals facing the challenges of recovering from a serious mental illness. The group meets twice a month: on the 2nd Monday at the NAMI-McHenry County offices, 333 Commerce Drive, Suite 900A, Crystal Lake at 7:00 p.m., and on the 3rd Thursday at the McHenry County Mental Health Board, 620 Dakota Street, Crystal Lake, following the 7:00 p.m. general support group.
Monday, December 8 and 22 (?). The NAMI DuPage Chapter's parents with children with a mental illness support group meets the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month at 7:30 pm at the NAMI office, 2100 Manchester Road, Bldg. B - Suite 900, Wheaton. (No charge, no reservation needed.) Call 630-752-0066 for information. (Be sure to call to confirm that the Christmas week group is meeting.)
Tuesday, December 9. NAMI Barrington Area Chapter family support group, 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the Barrington Area Library, Large Meeting Room B. (No charge, no reservation needed.) Call Mary at 847-381-6919 for information.
Tuesday, December 9 and 23 (?). NAMI DuPage Chapter family support group, meets the second and fourth Tuesday of the month from 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the NAMI DuPage office, 2100 Manchester, Building B, Suite 925, Wheaton.(No charge, no reservation needed.) Phone 630.752.0066 or email: il@namidupage.org for information. (Be sure to call and confirm if the Christmas week group is meeting.)
Wednesday, December 10. NAMI Greater Chicago family support group meets monthly (usually the second Wednesday), 7 - 9 p.m. at their offices, 1536 W. Chicago Ave, 1st Floor, Chicago. Call 312-563-0445 or visit their website for information or for other city and suburban support groups.
Thursday, December 11. The NAMI Elk Grove Chapter family support group meets the second Thursday of the month from 6:45- 8:45 p.m. at the Kenneth Young Center, 1001 Rohlwing Rd., Elk Grove. Family, friends, and recovered consumers are welcome Call Gina at 630 302 2530 for more information.
Thursday, December 11. The NAMI CCNS support group for caregivers of children with mental illness meets the second Thursday of the month (except August) from 7:30 - 9 p.m. at the Kenilworth Union Church, 211 Kenilworth Ave, Kenilworth. Call 847-716-2252 for more information.
Wednesday, December 17. NAMI Hanover Township family support group meets the third Wednesday of the month from 7 - 9 p.m. at Downey Hall, 250 S. Route 59, Bartlett, IL. Call 630-736-2823 for details.
Wednesday, December 17. NAMI Northwest Suburban Chapter family support group meets the third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Alexian Center for Mental Health, 3350 Salt Creek Lane, Suite 114, Arlington Heights. Call Star at 847-899-0195 for details.
Thursday, December 18. NAMI McHenry County Chapter Family Support and Education group meets the third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at the McHenry County Mental Health Board Building, 620 Dakota St., Crystal Lake. Call 815-444-9991 for information.
Friday December 19. The NAMI CCNS support group for caregivers of children with mental illness meets the third Friday of the month (except August) from 9:30 - 11 a.m. at the Wilmette Public Library, 1242 Wilmette Avenue, Wilmette. Call 847-716-225 for more information.
Saturday, December 20. The NAMI DuPage Minds in Motion social group (18 - 20-something) meets the third Saturday of the month. Visit NAMI Dupage or phone 630-752-0066 for location and time.
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| NAMI BA's Annual Membership Meeting |
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| More than 40 people attended NAMI BA’s annual membership meeting on November 18 at the Barrington Public Library, for an evening of business, information and socializing.
On the business side of things, the members approved two bylaw amendments clarifying terms of office for members of the Board of Directors, and passed a budget for 2009. Board members also presented a review of chapter activities in 2008. Some of the highlights of our year include four Family to Family classes and a monthly family support group. We also offered four speaker meetings and a church-basement dinner for NAMI members and their guests and began In Our Own Voice presentations at Northwest Community Hospital. During the year our e-newsletter circulation grew from 332 per month to over 500!
The guest speaker for the evening was Deacon Tom Lambert, the head of Chicago’s Archdiocesan Committee on Mental Health and a former President of NAMI Illinois. Mr. Lambert spoke of the importance of NAMI and how we must all become advocates for those with mental illness. He discussed the reasons behind Illinois’ grade of “F” in NAMI’s “Grading the States” report and of the impact that Governor Blagojevich’s deep cuts in mental health spending will have on those with mental illness. Despite those negatives, he also thought that our mental health system was slowly getting better and that the stigma of mental illness will surely fade, just as it has for cancer and other illnesses.
The meeting was also a social occasion for NAMI members and Family to Family alums to get together, see each other once again and renew old acquaintances – lots of hugs and lots of good conversation.
If you missed this year’s meeting, you’ll want to be sure to make it next year.
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| A special thanks to Marci Suelzer |
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Because of increasing requirements by her employer, Marci Suelzer, one of the founding board members and first president of NAMI Barrington Area, has had to resign from the board. Marci, an attorney, presided over our first meetings and helped us get off the ground, guiding us through many crucial tasks, including the creation of our bylaws and our conflict of interest policy, the filing of our incorporation papers with the state, our recognition by the IRS as a tax-exempt charity and much, much more. We will miss her knowledge, her expertise, her sense of humor and especially her contagious enthusiasm.
Marci, we thank you for a job well done, and hope that once things settle down at work you'll be able to resume an active role in NAMI BA.
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| From the President's Desk: A Book Worth Reading |
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| by Hugh Brady I have just finished reading Divided Minds, by Pamela Spiro Wagner and Carolyn Spiro. It is well worth reading. Pamela and Carolyn are identical twin sisters who grew up in Massachusetts in the late 1950s and early 60s. As they entered their teenage years, one of the sisters, Pamela, began to suffer from schizophrenia. As she got older, her symptoms worsened, but before they became completely unmanageable, she managed to graduate summa cum laude from Brown University. Then the illness took over. At the same time, Carolyn was enrolled in Harvard Medical school and she eventually finished her degree and became a psychiatrist.
The book is a memoir, describing the girls’ early years and following them through 2003. It is laid out in alternating chapters; one chapter will be by Pammie and the next, describing the same time period but from a different point of view, will be by Carolyn.
Their twin stories are compelling and often harrowing. Pammie describes what she eventually calls a descent into hell, and the voices and visual hallucinations take over her life. Secret agents monitor her every movement through a microchip hidden in one of her fillings. The man in the red hazmat suit tells her to set herself on fire. The voices call her worthless and evil and are sometimes so overwhelming that she can hardly maintain contact with the real world. But during the times when her illness is in remission, she is a brilliant and award winning poet.
Alternating chapters tell of Carolyn’s efforts to help, of her agonizing inability to fix things, to make the delusions disappear. Sometimes even her determination and professional expertise are not enough to overcome the indifference and incompetence of some of the people working in the state’s public mental health system.
But at the same time, Illinois readers can marvel at how wonderful Massachusetts’ mental health system is. Pammie often has a schedule of regular home visits by the state’s mental health social workers. When she is discharged from the hospital, she usually goes to a state half way house, and from there to supportive housing. (Massachusetts got a C- in NAMI’s 2006 “Grading the States report; Illinois got an F; Massachusetts spends almost twice as much per capita on mental health than Illinois does.)
Whether you are a consumer or a family member, this book will give you a riveting account of the other side of the equation.
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| Legislative Alert: Potential Good News |
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| By Hugh Brady The election of Barak Obama may be good news for people with mental illness. Before the election, NAMI asked the presidential candidates to respond to a lengthy questionnaire about their views on mental illness and our nation’s mental health system.
Here are a few excerpts from Mr. Obama’s responses. They are quite encouraging.
• What about health insurance for people with mental illness?
My national health plan will guarantee affordable, comprehensive and portable health coverage for every American through partnerships among employers, private health plans, the federal government, and the states. In addition, my plan will include coverage of all essential medical services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care.
I am [also] committed to ensuring that Americans with disabilities or mental illness receive Medicaid and Medicare benefits in a low-cost, effective and timely manner.
• What about community mental health centers?
I support expanding resources for the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant and other programs that provide mental health services for people with mental disorders.
• What about housing for people with mental illness?
I support increasing housing opportunities for people who have serious mental illness. As president, I will create an Affordable Housing Trust Fund to develop affordable housing for lower-income individuals in mixed-income neighborhoods. The Fund will use a small percentage of the profits of two government-sponsored housing agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to create thousands of new units of affordable housing every year.
• Employment?
I believe that qualified workers with disabilities or mental illness should have the same opportunities as other workers. My goal is to increase the employment rate among workers with disabilities or mental illness so that it is as close as possible to the employment rate for all American workers. I am committed to funding and better enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as strengthening other legislation to ensure that individuals with disabilities or mental illness have equal opportunity to participate in the workplace.
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| Helping people who can't see that they're ill |
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| Many readers will no doubt have heard of Dr. Xavier Amador’s book, I’m Not Sick; I Don’t Need Help. It is an excellent look at the problems of dealing with people who have serious mental illness but who do not see that they are ill.
Dr. Amador, a practicing psychiatrist and member of the NAMI national Board, has a brother with schizophrenia and, like many of us, has had to deal with the problem of anosognosia, an inability of a person who is sick to realize that he or she is sick. It’s not that individuals won’t recognize or face up to the fact that they’re sick, it’s that they really can’t see it.
Now you can see and hear Dr. Amador lecture about the problem on the Internet. This video provides a great deal of useful information, can help you to understand what the person with the illness is going through and describes several practical and proven ways to help people with mental illness see and address their situation. Even if you’ve already read the book, the video is worth watching.
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| How High Can You Count? |
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| A very large portion of individuals suffering from chronic homelessness are suffering from mental illness, and homelessness is an issue of great concern to people involved with our broken mental health system. The main organization dealing with homelessness in our area is the Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County, an umbrella organization of homeless service providers which was established by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Every two years HUD requires the Alliance to conduct a count of homeless people in its service area. As you might expect, it is quite a chore, and so the Alliance is looking for community volunteers to assist in the count, which will be held on Thursday, January 22, 2009.
There are lots of jobs that need to be done, but one of the most interesting will be to be on a counting team. Four to five person teams will be assembled and trained, and will then travel to various pre-selected homeless “hot spots” where homeless individuals are known to congregate. Team members will then collect information about the homeless people who may be there and distribute gift bags, including such things as gloves and socks, toiletries and food items.
If you think you might be interested in helping with the count, or would just like to find out more about it, visit the Alliance’s website.
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| From Carol's Corner - NAMI Illinois Convention Recap |
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| The Illinois Convention this year truly was a “coming together” of NAMI consumers, family members, and professionals from around the state. Their goal was to offer good information about the present and future status of mental health care in our state. I was very impressed with all the hard work that helped to make this convention a success.
Highlights for me included much information on serious mental illnesses, education on how families can make a difference in the life of someone who has a brain disorder, legislative topics, a session on how medications affect different individuals differently, and much more.
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| Executive Depression: It's More Than Lonely at the Top |
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| "How's it going?" A simple enough question, right? For executives suffering with depression and trying to do their jobs, the answer is "Not so well." The good news? The right environment can still help them perform at their best. An interesting piece on dealing with depression, bipolar disorder and other brain disorders while holding a job. From Associations Now Magazine, October 2008.
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| Please join us at the Housing Task Force meeting December 14 |
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| Interested in housing for people with brain disorders? A group of NAMI chapters and interested individuals have formed the North/northwest Suburban Task Force on Supportive Housing for Individuals with Mental Illness, known as the Housing Task Force for short. The Task Force has been working with organizations such as Thresholds, the Corporation for Supportive Housing and Northwest Community Hospital to develop between 12 and 20 units of permanent supportive housing out here in the north and northwest suburbs.
The project is in its beginning phases, but if you'd like to help get things underway, please join us at the next Task Force meeting, Sunday, December 14, 1:00 p.m. at the mental health unit (building #7) in the northwest corner of the Northwest Community Hospital campus. Questions? Call Hugh Brady at 847-991-1863.
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| Very Good News |
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This just in: NAMI has just learned that Governor Blagojevich has signed Senate Bill 1103, the bill to restore the deep cuts he had earlier made in the budgets for community mental centers and other mental health services. The Governor did make some line item cuts in the bill before he signed it, but as of right now, $176 million of the $231 million he originally cut from mental health and other human services has been restored.
While the situation is not great, it is now a whole lot better than it was. Thanks are due to the hundreds of NAMI members who called the Governor's office urging him to sign SB1103. It was a deluge of calls. So many people called that, the secretaries in the Governor's office often didn't even wait for the caller to finish the message. Many people told us that their conversations went something like this:
Caller: "Hello, I'm calling to encourage the Governor to sign . . . "
And before the callers could finish the sentence, the secretaries would finish it for them
Secretary: "Senate Bill 1103?"
Caller: "Yes."
Secretary: "Noted. Thank you."
It's often said that the squeaky wheel in Springfield gets the grease. Well, good squeaking everyone!
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| Volunteers needed |
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| We've really begun to reach our stride at NAMI Barrington Area. It's been a wonderful experience to be involved. I can't tell you how much I've learned and how helpful it's been in my own dealings with family members with mental health issues.
I want to invite you to help us support and advocate for people with brain disorders, and in so doing, help yourself. Are you willing to lend a hand?
Our biggest need right now is for people to serve on our publicity committee, but we have many other needs as well. There's so much we can accomplish, but only with more good people like you pitching in. Please call.
If you can help, call Maryrose at 847-382-6623.
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| Please pass on this newsletter |
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| We hope you'll pass this newsletter on to friends, family members or professionals who might get some useful information from it. Even though you don't know if your friend would need this valuable information and support, you never know who may have a co-worker or neighbor who would.
The best way to pass it on is to hit the 'forward email' button at the bottom. You can write a note when you forward it, and you may also ask your friend to pass it on to others for the same reason. You may mention that if he or she enjoys it, to be sure to hit the 'join our mailing list' button in the right-hand column.
There's no need to worry if your friend lives in the area, as NAMI has chapters throughout the United States. It's a free newsletter. You don't have to be a member to receive it. No one will call, email or otherwise bother new subscribers.
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| Join NAMI |
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| We hope you'll join NAMI and support our advocacy for the mentally ill. The cost is only $35 (adult and spouse) or $10 (for consumer). If this cost will create a financial hardship, we have a limited number of open door memberships available at a reduced fee. If you don't wish to join right now, but you'd like to receive our free newsletter, simply use the "Join our mailing list" button in the gray column to the right, call or send us an email (see below).
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| Visit our website |
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| Emergency numbers |
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Local police/ambulance: 911
State police: 847-294-4400
Crisis team, Alexian Brothers, Hoffman Estates
(24 hour): 800-432-5005
Illinois state suicide line: 800-784-2433
Ecker Center 24-hour emergency program (Elgin) 847-888-2211
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Who we are
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| NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation's foremost grassroots mental health organization. We are dedicated to improving the lives of people living with serious brain disorders that cause mental illness and to improving the lives of their families. Founded in 1979, NAMI is active in all 50 states, Canada, and Mexico with over 1100 local chapters across the country. Our mission is one of education, support, self help, advocacy and research. NAMI Barrington Area is a new NAMI chapter located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. We are a dedicated group of people serving Barrington and nearby suburbs hoping to help you or someone you love on the path to recovery from mental illness. Call us at 847-496-1415.
About NAMI Barrington area chapter |
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